Saturday morning we headed out. It was about a 4 1/2 hour drive north until we reached the beginning of the Redwoods. Our first stop was to the Chandelier Drive thru Tree. It was a pretty impressive tree that happened to be large enough for cars to drive through. The van made it without much room to spare. There were tons of people waiting for their turn so I didn't get a picture of us driving through.
There were picnic tables there that we used for our sandwich lunch. We explored the small gift shop and then walked around a few of the fallen trees. Then it was on the road again.
Our next stop was in a tiny little town that happened to be called Phillipsville. So, yeah, we needed a picture.
We were finally on the scenic highway called the Avenue of the Giants. It parallels hwy 101 for about 32 miles. If you ever get the chance to drive that road I would highly recommend that you take it. It is amazing to just drive through. There are tons of places to stop and explore along the way. Some are marked trails and others are just places to pull over and look around.
Our first stop was a random place. We found huge stumps and then were able to walk down to the river. The kids had a blast walking in the water and playing with the rocks.
Next we stopped at the Visitor's Center. They had a pretty interesting set up that told the history of the forest. There were lots of animal skins and interesting displays. We all enjoyed perusing it. Outside they had this weather rock set up. I know this is hard to read, but basically the weather rock is never wrong. If the rock is wet...then it is raining. If it is white...then it is snowing. Etc...
Our next stop was on the map and called Founder's Grove. There is a massive tree there as well as a really nice loop trail to hike. We had a great time snapping selfies, meandering through the giant trees, and just talking with each other. It really was the perfect afternoon.
From there we headed north again to the town of Fortuna. We checked in to our hotel and got pizza for dinner. We were all exhausted after a full day.
The next morning we at the continental breakfast and set out north again to the city of Eureka. On our way we stopped in a very small town called Loleta. There was a cheese factory there. It wasn't like the big Tillamook one that we are used to, but it was still fun to visit. We sampled probably 30 different cheeses. Outside they kept a beautiful garden complete with a scavenger hunt. The kids enjoyed walking around and crossing things off their lists. We purchased some cheese and were on our way again.
We headed straight to old town Eureka. It was fun to walk along the waterfront and to see the historic old buildings. I especially loved the old two story bookstore. We walked around the fountain and had lunch. Then we set off on a boat tour of the bay. The wind was a bit chilly, but we were prepared.
After our boat ride, we got ice cream cones and then headed to the beach. The sand was warm and it was a beautiful day. We played for a couple of hours before our next stop.
We drove to the end of the north spit where there was a long jetty out to the ocean. The weather was calm, and the tide was going out so we walked to the very end. This was quite the feat. Many areas of the jetty had been washed out and we had to scramble up, down, and around large boulders. It was an accomplishment for sure. The views at the end were worth it. Pics don't do it justice, but it was fun to see the waves rolling into the bay.
We had worked up quite the appetite, so it was off to find dinner. We ended up at a seafood place. The girls had really good clam chowder, and Chris enjoyed his steak. Most of us left a little bit hungry still. Since we were on vacation we stopped at Marie Callenders on the way back to the hotel for dessert. Pie for all!
The next morning we skipped the hotel breakfast and instead hit up McDonalds. Then it was off to the south again. We again drove along the Avenue of the Giants. We stopped at the Drury Cheney trail. We hiked through really pretty forest. We stopped at another trail as well that went down by a river. We played for while in the water.
We also stopped at one of those vista overlooks along the main highway. Of course we attempted a family selfie.
This was the best trip! Like one of my very favorites ever. I think maybe it was so fun because we had nowhere to be. We were free to do whatever looked interesting. The kids all said the same thing. I'm so glad that we did it. Now I'm already trying to come up with ideas for our next family roadtrip. Any destination ideas are welcome... Yosemite? Grand Canyon?
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